Where Love is Great
by lilyleia78
Summary: Rocky and Adam deal with Adam's absence and their fears during "Once a Ranger" Slash, but rating is higher than necessary for safety's sake.
1. Where Love is Great

Disclaimer: you know the drill.

Written for PRSW22 on livejournal. That means it's slash, complete with boys in love and implied nakedness. The title is a quote from Hamlet. "Where love is great, the littlest doubts are fear." Act III, sc. ii Enjoy! 

**Where Love is Great**

_The dreams had begun again. Images of the black ranger being tossed about like a rag doll had invaded his nights. Rocky should have expected it. It had taken nearly a year for them to stop last time. A year of waking up in a cold sweat, sure that Adam was dead. At least then he'd had the luxury of waking up with a live, warm, breathing Adam next to him, instant proof that the nightmares were nothing but his fear manifested._

"How are you holding up?" Adam asked him during one of their nightly calls.

"I'm great! I have this nice big house all to myself. No one to complain if I steal the covers, sleep too late, eat too much, or walk around the house naked. I can do whatever I want," Rocky bragged.

"I don't actually object to your walking around naked when I'm home. By all means, burn your clothes if you want," Rocky could practically hear Adam smirking. Rocky forced a laugh. But fooling Adam had never been his strong suit. The black ranger asked again, "How are you really?"

_It didn't matter that Adam never looked in real danger in the few images he saw. There wasn't quite as much information about the 'new' ranger team as there had been about the original Operation Overdrive. The veteran rangers still maintained their anonymity. Perversely, the lack of bad news actually fueled his imagination. Old memories, old battles, old terrors took over where genuine news left off. _

"I'm fine, Adam," Rocky said in his most reassuring voice. "I've been following the news of the 'new' ranger team. The media seems to love you guys even more for not knowing your identities. They even got a few pictures. You still fill out that suit nicely."

Adam sounded doubtful. "Thanks. If you're lucky, I'll model for you when I get home."

"I'm gonna hold you to that," Rocky promised. "Any idea when that might be?" he asked with a casualness he didn't feel.

_The first time the nightmares had come had been shortly after Rocky had given up his powers. It was maddening to watch his friends take a beating and not be able to do anything. After his release from the hospital, he watched them every second. He would duck and weave with Adam as if his movements would direct the green ranger. Eventually, he started to avoid the fights. He didn't like feeling helpless._

"Soon, I hope. I have an idea that might work," Adam replied vaguely.

"Good. I miss you."

"I miss you too," Adam admitted warmly. The conversation then drifted to safer topics. The strangeness of hearing Kira call Tommy 'Dr. O', Bridge's love of buttery toast, and the shamefulness of modern rangers neglecting basic martial arts training in favor of blasters and extra abilities.

_It was ironic really. When Rocky had been a ranger, fighting along side his lover everyday, there had been no sleepless nights. During a fight he could compartmentalize his feelings for his teammate. Sometimes, if Adam were in a particularly bad spot, the panic might take over but only briefly. For the most part he just concentrated on what he could control. They all did. It was the only way to keep fighting, keep winning, stay focused. A healthy dose of teenage invincibility, and life-affirming sex afterwards kept his fear at bay. _

"Now we sound like old men, complaining about kids these days. You're getting too old for this," Rocky teased.

"True," Adam agreed readily. "But if Tommy could do it for Reefside, there's no way I'm going to complain. It might get back to him."

"He's not sharing any embarrassing stories with Kira, is he?" Rocky asked, only slightly worried. It's not like he couldn't share a few stories of his own.

Apparently the same thought had occurred to Adam. "He threatened to tell her about Scorpina, but I just asked him if remembered that time he and Tanya had to sing everything. He shut up pretty quickly."

Rocky gave a genuine laugh at that, but it was short-lived as he heard an alarm in the background.

"Gotta go," Adam said distractedly. "I love you." He hung up before Rocky could reply.

_A week later life was returning to normal. They had a robot staying in their dojo and new friends on speed dial in case of world-saving emergencies, but normal was a relative term for power rangers. The nightmares didn't magically stop when Adam returned, but the return of a warm body in his bed eased the aftermath. If experience was anything to go by, the dreams would fade. New, more pleasant dreams would take their place. Maybe there would be no 'next time'. Maybe they could finally be at peace._


	2. The First Duty

**Disclaimer:** See 1st chapter.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. Here's Adam's POV. Reviews are love! Happy Easter everyone! And/Or happy late Equinox! And/Or happy Sunday! The chapter title comes from the quote "The first duty of love is to listen." by Paul Tillich

**The First Duty**

_Adam meant what he said about always being a ranger. He couldn't have turned down this assignment even if he wanted to. The rangers were a large, extended (somewhat dysfunctional) family, and Adam believed in taking care of his own. If the loss of Operation Overdrive had lead to any of his family coming to harm, Adam would not have been able to live with himself. And Rocky was family in more ways than most. _

"So what are the other rangers like?" Rocky asked him the first time he called home.

"Young," Adam answered truthfully. "The oldest one, Tori, is Justin's age."

"Justin's not that much younger than us. You need to stop thinking of him as a twelve year old."

Adam thought he heard an edge of defensiveness in Rocky's voice. Justin was his replacement after all. The black ranger clarified himself. "No, you're right. It's not so much about age as experience. With the exception of Bridge, who's from the future, they all have only one year of service. Makes me feel ancient."

Silence met him on the other end. He was afraid that he'd somehow made the situation worse but then, "There's someone from the future? But not one of Wes's teammates?"

_Rocky swore he didn't want the power back, but Adam wondered. He had seen the look in the former red ranger's eyes when Tommy asked him to stay on Earth during the Serpentera Incident. There had been lots of good reasons for Rocky to stay – his bad back, Jason and Tommy were already there to represent their teams, they needed a leader to rally the rest of the rangers should the moon mission fail. But good reasons didn't make Rocky feel less rejected. This time there were no reasons. Adam was called; Rocky wasn't. Adam answered the call for both of them._

Adam grinned. "Yeah, Bridge. He's from an organization called SPD. He isn't supposed to risk the timeline with details, but…he slips sometimes. It sounds like a military/police organization that selects power rangers. Or commands them or something. I'm not too clear on that. Bridge says he's been green, blue and now red ranger. Apparently, those were all promotions."

Adam could practically hear Rocky thinking that over. "Does that mean I got demoted? You're just messing with me, aren't you?"

Adam couldn't contain a chuckle before continuing, "Hey, I haven't told you the best part. His mentor is a dog. And their commander is a bird."

"Now I know you're just screwing with me."

"This from the man with a giant floating head as mentor."

_The last time he had been active without Rocky things had been very difficult for both of them. Rocky started having nightmares. Adam tried to compensate by not telling Rocky all the details of his latest ordeal. He didn't know that this actually made it worse, and ranger life had a way of seeping into real life anyway. Rocky couldn't even watch Adam coach soccer without also watching him dash away to danger. So Rocky started making excuses to avoid not just Adam but all his old friends. Adam let him; it was simpler._

Rocky laughed and conceded the point. Then, returning to his original question, "Are the other ranger's any good?"

Adam heard the subtext. _Can they keep you safe?_ He answered both questions. "Yes. These creatures we're fighting haven't been able to get good hits on any of us. We'll all be fine."

"Promise?"

Adam hesitated, "I won't take any unnecessary risks. I promise to keep you, me and the world safe."

Rocky sighed in resignation. "You should really learn to set smaller goals."

_It was easier once he'd passed on his own powers. When he'd told Rocky the news, he'd seen sympathy, sorrow, and relief in his lover's eyes. The break from rangering gave him a better understanding of Rocky's feelings. It was difficult to see the new team take a beating, impossible not to wonder if his team could have been better, smarter, or faster. The perspective it gave him into Rocky's psyche was worth it. They began to talk again, and Adam discovered a distance between them he'd been too busy to notice before. He'd almost lost his family before it was fully formed. He was determined not to let it happen again._

Adam smiled. "As soon as I've found a way to repair the Overdrive Ranger's connection to the morphing grid, I'll be home. Then I'll go back to my smaller goals of running a successful dojo and making a certain over-grown ape happy."

"Speaking of, I'd better go. Someone has to keep the business running smoothly while you're off playing superhero again. I love you, frog-boy."

"Ribbit."

_Weeks later life was returning to normal. They had a robot staying in their dojo and new family on speed dial. Rocky's nightmares had started again, but they would fade. Most importantly, there was no distance this time. Lesson learned._


End file.
